


skygazing

by jiyuuhonpou



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Gen, Post-Graduation, implied KagaKuro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-08 18:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1951017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiyuuhonpou/pseuds/jiyuuhonpou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, friends need a gentle push in the right direction.</p>
            </blockquote>





	skygazing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Anonymous](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous/gifts).



> I wrote this in response to the librarian meme on tumblr - the prompt was page 192, and the closest book to me at the time was _Memories of a Dead End_ by Banana Yoshimoto. The exact line used was:
>
>> 我ながらすごい能天気だなあ、と思うのだけれど、本当は私だって、何かに気づいていたのかもしれない。いつでも空を見上げるとため息が出たし、お酒を飲むと、わけもなく涙がつうっと出てきたものだ。  
> (“I’m pretty optimistic, if I do say so myself,” is what I thought, but the truth is, even someone like me probably noticed something. After all, I was doing things like always sighing when I looked up at the sky, or shedding a tear without reason whenever I drank alcohol.)

An entire month passes by before Kouki sees Kuroko again. He’d meant to meet up with Kuroko sooner than that, he really did, but somehow his good intentions got lost in the flurry of adjusting to all of the opportunities and challenges that came along with diving head-first into a new environment. It’s probably the same for all of his former classmates though, including Kuroko, so he silently apologizes as he texts Kuroko a much-overdue invitation to catch up.

They meet at a no-name, no-frills coffee shop attached to the train station near Kouki’s college (at Kuroko’s insistence, not Kouki’s – Kouki would have been more than happy to meet Kuroko somewhere in the middle, but perhaps Kuroko wanted a change of pace). Kouki arrives five minutes early with the intention of seeking Kuroko out right after he places his order, but it takes Kuroko tapping Kouki on the shoulder during his second lap around the seating area for Kouki to notice him. Kuroko’s already seated at a booth by the window with a book; the seat caters excellently to both of Kuroko’s hobbies.

Kuroko politely asks about the current state of Kouki’s affairs, and Kouki animatedly responds with anecdote after anecdote about his newfound college life. Orientation was fun, classes seem tough but a couple of them look promising, he’s already made a couple of new friends and spotted some cute girls on campus, et cetera. Kuroko listens intently, chuckling at the right moments and asking the right follow-up questions.

All in all, Kouki thinks the quarter’s going well, but now it’s time for a fast break, so he asks Kuroko how things are going.

Kuroko stirs his half-drained cup of coffee, considering the question. “I’ve been looking up at the sky more often,” he says at last.

"The sky?" It’s nowhere near the answer Kouki expected, but if it’s a pass Kuroko’s making, then Kouki will do his best to catch it.

“I don’t do it intentionally,” Kuroko clarifies, staring out the window and off into the distance as if to prove his point. “It’s just I find myself looking up without thinking. Rain or shine, day or night, inside or outside. Tokyo’s sky is surprisingly clear for a city, don’t you agree?”

Kouki follows Kuroko’s gaze out of the window; sure enough, the bright blue of the cloudless May sky is clearly visible even through the buildings surrounding them. For a few moments the two of them wordlessly contemplate the sky, and it’s during the silence that Kouki finally understands.

“You could contact him, you know,” he mumbles, glancing over at Kuroko. Kuroko’s expression is as neutral as ever, but three years of learning how to decipher said poker face haven’t gone to waste in four weeks; Kouki can spot the wistfulness in Kuroko’s smile and the longing in his eyes not because it’s obvious, but because he knows where to look.

“I could,” Kuroko says quietly, still staring out the window. “But what would I say?”

Kouki stares down at his own cup, barely touched and lukewarm. Saying something like _everything will be all right, it’s you two we’re talking about_ seems insincere at best and patronizing at worst, no matter how much Kouki genuinely believes that things will work out for his teammates eventually. It’s clutch time and he’s got to choose his words carefully; he’s not the one making the shot, but he’s sure as hell going to make his assist count.

Kouki doesn’t have Akashi’s foresight or Takao’s perspective, but the one talent he takes pride in is his ability to support his teammates. Maybe he has a reputation for being cautious, but Kouki understands the difference between being reckless and being unreasonable. And sometimes, a little recklessness can go a long way.

“You could ask him how he’s doing, for starters,” he replies finally, mustering his courage while steeling himself for the _it’s not that simple_ and the _I’m too paralyzed by the past to move forward_ that’s sure to follow.

Kuroko turns to face Kouki, blinking twice at him in complete surprise. “Maybe I’ll do that,” he says slowly, his smile more sincere this time, and Kouki breathes a tiny sigh of relief. He knows a turning point when he sees one.

 

(Kouki sends Kagami a LINE message later that night telling him to get his shit together though, just in case. It’s something that even a coward like him could do, after all.)


End file.
